Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to extend full expensing to leased assets to support small and medium-sized transport businesses that lease vehicles.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK has one of the most generous and competitive capital allowances regimes in the world and is top of the rankings of OECD countries for plant and machinery capital allowances.
The Annual Investment Allowance allows both incorporated and unincorporated businesses to deduct the entire cost of investment in both main and special rate assets in one go, up to £1 million per year, including assets bought for leasing or hiring.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department was involved in the development of the Electric Car Grant.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Government policy is developed and agreed through the collective agreement process, with His Majesty’s Treasury responsible for scrutinising public spending to ensure value for money.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Valuation Office Agency's guidance entitled Practice Note 3: 2023: Major International and Regional Airports has been updated for the (a) 2026 business rates revaluation and (b) phasing out of the effect of the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Valuation Office Agency's guidance will be updated for the 2026 revaluation and will be published when the Rating List is compiled on 1 April 2026.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 85347 on Company Cars: Taxation, what estimate her Department has made of the revenue to be raised from changes to benefit in kind taxation for vehicles provided through such schemes, and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those changes on the employee car ownership industry.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Autumn Budget 2024, the proposed changes to Employee Car Ownership Schemes were estimated to raise £875m across the scorecard. This costing and the tax impact and information note will be updated at a future fiscal event to reflect the six-month delay to the originally announced implementation date.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of an increase in fuel duty on (a) GDP and (b) employment levels in the (i) road haulage and (ii) logistics sectors.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut and cancelling the planned increase in line with inflation for 2025/26. The temporary 5p cut is scheduled to expire in March 2026. The Government considers the impact of fuel duty on the economy, including households and businesses, with decisions on rates made at fiscal events.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much (a) their Department and (b) its arm’s length bodies have spent on (i) installing electric vehicle charging facilities and (ii) purchasing electric vehicles since 4 July 2024; and what estimate their Department has made of the difference in capital cost between (A) the electric vehicles purchased by their Department and (B) comparable (1) petrol and (2) diesel models.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Treasury occupy three sites: Horse Guards Road in London, Feethams House in Darlington, and Rosebery Court in Norwich. These premises are managed by the Government Property Agency, who have responsibility for the facilities management across all locations.
The Treasury does not own any vehicles.
Information relating to arms-length-bodies is not held centrally.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2025 to Question 85352 on Airports: Business Rates, whether the Valuation Office Agency has received any (a) formal challenges and (b) appeals from airports on their rateable values.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Valuation Office Agency has not received any formal challenges or appeals from airports on their rateable values for the 2026 Rating List, as it is not yet live. The VOA cannot confirm details for the 2023 list because the numbers are too small and disclosure would breach confidentiality under legislation.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to ensure that (a) charities, (b) churches, (c) voluntary organisations and (d) community groups are able to deposit cash into bank accounts via the Post Office without the need for (i) trustees and (ii) volunteers to hold debit cards on the organisation's account.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the importance of cash, understanding that it continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including charities, churches, voluntary organisations and community groups to support communities across the UK, and is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses
The Post Office plays a key role in supporting access to banking services. Under the Banking Framework, a commercial agreement between the Post Office and 30 banking firms, personal and business customers can withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK.
The FCA has previously worked with the Post Office, banks, and the National Economic Crime Center to improve controls on cash deposits at the Post Office, in order to minimise financial crime risks. The FCA set out its expectations for transaction verification when making cash deposits, including use of cards, whilst seeking to limit the unintended consequences and ensuring additional measures did not disproportionately impact legitimate customers. This is a matter for the FCA as an independent regulator.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 82997 on the Restoring Your Railway Fund, whether the audit was independently reviewed by (a) the Office for Budget Responsibility and (b) another external body.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In July 2024, the Chancellor of the Exchequer instructed HM Treasury officials to undertake an audit of public spending. The audit’s findings showed a forecast overspend on departmental spending of £21.9 billion above the totals that had been set at Spring Budget 2024.
Taking immediate action to respond to the spending pressure, the government cancelled unfunded policy announcements made by the previous government, including the Restoring Your Railway programme.
The full Spending Audit summary can be found on GOV.UK.
The OBR conducted a review into the Spring Budget 2024 forecast which is available on their website, setting out that if the OBR had been aware of the scale of pressures at the time, they would have reached a “materially different judgement about...spending in 2024-2025”
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of existing rates of gaming duty on the land-based bingo sector in the context of (a) the pandemic and (b) trends in operating costs.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
No formal assessment has been made. Bingo Duty is charged at 10% of a Bingo Hall’s Gross Gaming Yield and is the second lowest rate of the seven gambling duties.
The Government keeps all taxes under review, and the Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the overall public finances.